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This is not a drill: Pennsylvania works around Grover Norquist

Norquist recently came out against a proposed drilling impact fee. |
Jay Westcott/POLITICO
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To Hess, the road to reconciling the House and Senate bills is shorter than it seems. Hess, now an environmental lobbyist for Crisci Associates in Harrisburg, laid out a plan for how the two bills could meet in the middle on his blog, PA Environmental Digest Daily.

In Hess’s compromise, the Legislature would move forward with the Senate version of the bill — and its uniform tax structure — as a basis, and would incorporate a provision in the House bill that uses oil and gas royalties to fund environmental programs.

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As for differing setbacks and safety provisions in the competing bills, Hess suggests choosing the most stringent ones in each issue. Hess also suggests incorporating more of the recommendations from the state’s Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission as well as those from his clients, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Corbett and lawmakers have said they want to get a resolution to the impact fee debate by the end of the year. If they aren’t able to hammer out a solution, Hess said, they can take up the issue when they return in 2012.

“I think the chances are better than ever there will be [a compromise],” Hess said. “It’s just not a slam-dunk because there are differences.”

The Marcellus Shale Coalition, a major industry group in the state, has not taken a stance on either bill. Instead, it has called for “balanced and competitive legislation” to encourage gas development in Pennsylvania.

“As this important process moves forward, we’re eager to continue working alongside policymakers toward the shared goal of making certain that we get this historic opportunity right for the commonwealth, our region and for our nation,” said Kathryn Klaber, president of the coalition.

The American Petroleum Institute came out in support of the House bill when it was proposed, but representatives of the group said in a Nov. 18 interview that they hadn’t yet reviewed all of the amendments that were attached to the bill.

“We’re looking for something reasonable and fair, obviously,” said Stephanie Wissman, API Pennsylvania’s executive director. “Something where the standards are strong and tight, that makes sense going forward and gives the industry an opportunity to flourish and help the job situation in Pennsylvania.”

The Senate bill, she said, was “unreasonable” given the tax rate, environmental regulations and permitting issues that companies have to deal with in Pennsylvania. If the costs of doing business in Pennsylvania prove uneconomical, Wissman said, there’s a chance the industry could leave and look for gas deposits elsewhere, even though a large portion of Marcellus Shale is in Pennsylvania.

“That’s always a possibility,” she said. “If the business plan doesn’t make sense, they’re not going to go there.”

But compared with existing laws in some other states, Hess said, the Senate bill is reasonable. Hess said some estimate that if Pennsylvania adopted a severance tax like West Virginia’s, the costs to companies would double.

“It is complicated,” Hess said. “But on the other hand, it can be simple if people really use a little common sense.”

Pennsylvania is more than welcome to increase their price on energy in order to feed a fat Big Government. They were stupid enough to elect these people, they'll have to suffer the consequences of higher natural gas prices.

Forget about Norquist. Instead, call out all lawmakers, federal and state, who, according to Americans for Tax Reform (atr.org), “…solemnly bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases.” These pledges are not made casually. They must be signed, dated, witnessed and submitted to a LOBBYIST. A question in the Q&A’s on the website atr.org asks: “Can the language of the Pledge be altered to allow exceptions?” The answer: “No. There are no exceptions to the pledge.” This, or any, pledge taken by a lawmaker (republican or democrat) that prohibits the exercise of free will in governing is unacceptable and must be renounced.

Pennsylvania is more than welcome to increase their price on energy in order to feed a fat Big Government. They were stupid enough to elect these people, they'll have to suffer the consequences of higher natural gas prices.

So let's see, part of the monies would be used to cap old, abandoned wells which are safety hazards. Monies would also be used to convert school bus and mass transit fleets to natural gas, which would be much more energy efficient, and the dollars used would stay RIGHT here.

PA is the ONLY state in the vicinity who does not charge a fee. It was stupid fo Rendell to let drilling start without one. It was even more stupid for Tom Corbett to allow it to continue without one. When his Marcellus Shale commission recommended an impact fee after their meeting in July, he and the legislature should have gotten it done yesterday.

“Natural” gas has a reputation as environmentally friendly, but a new method of drilling for gas called hydraulic fracturing or fracking is anything but clean and green. Across the country, state regulators have documented over 1,000 incidents of groundwater contamination related to fracking. In many cases, water is so polluted with gas that people can literally light their water on fire, right out of the tap! In addition to contamination underground, fracking generates enormous quantities of highly toxic—and even radioactive—wastewater,

Like it or not oil creates or help create almost every product in our society to the manufacturing of cell phones, heating our homes, supplying the energy to transport our DVD's and CD's all over the globe, supply the energy for our rock star concerts and the millions of gallons of oil to transport the rock stars and all their band instruments and stages and crew, hospital care, the lighting of all our sport stadiums, 911, and heating and the electricity to make computers, etc.

WE are the most environmentally sound nation in the world when it comes to oil, coal and natural gas. I wish cell phones, cars, food, clothes etc. were manufactured by green energy but our world runs on oil. Who ever is not for our drilling in our country needs to get informed about world pollution and realize that we all breath the same air and in most ways the oceans, rivers etc, are connected world wide. If we do not drill for oil then the other non-friendly environmentally nations will. China and Vietnam are eyeing drilling in our Atlantic ocean. You would have to be illiterate to realize that these countries could care less about oil spills and who in the heck will make them pay the damages if they spill oil. My son works overseas and the condition of many of the ports where oil tankers dock are nothing but polluted.

Now I am for not drilling for more oil if all the people, especially the young folks with their hand held devices, 20 pairs of shoes, ( my age group mostly grew up with 2 pair and 1 pair of boots which were only replaced when they wore out, taught that lights were not to be on unless necessary), their obsession to chips, drinks and eating out (which uses tons of electricity and coal), walked to school if you lived 2 miles from school (and I am not kidding), kids did not drive cars in high school, etc. I have never seen such waste of oil and coal from the kids raised in the last 30 years than I can stand.

What also amazes me is the amount of kids who own computers and hand held devices and say they want green energy-These are created by petroleum products and the energy that comes from coal and water. Hmmmm-really amazing-and we wonder why the kids in other countries are taking our jobs. Most of our young people do not even know the basic facts of how products are made and run yet these American kids think they deserve high paying jobs.

Well we would need less oil if all of you who do not support drilling would quit using all things that are created by oil such as: CD's and DVD's, all hand held devices and computers, clothes and food that are manufactured and use the stuff you grow yourself such as cotton for clothes and organic gardens made with seeds you collect yourself, and heat your house naturally not using oil or coal, quit using the internet, quit driving and walk, quit going out to eat, quit shopping, quit using the energy to fuel video games,

What a foolish generation..

People say we need to use electric cars-what fools-how do you think they are fueld ? Electric cars are manufactured in factories ran by oil, water and coal. Coal, oil and water create the electricity needed by electric cars.

I cannot stand it when folks say this especially when they on the internet-how do you think the internet is fueld and how do you think you hand held devices and computers are manufactured with-oil.

So to sum it back quit using oil, coal and water used for manufacturing all of the American society. Hmmm-now where are you going to move to. If you want to be a true environmetalist I guess you could go to Alaska or Canada and live off the land.

I grew up when we valued electricity, oil and water. We did not waste or our parents gave it to us. We used all of these carefully. Look at our roads, beaches and water areas. I cannot belevie how all this big mouth folks talk about being environmentalists and they cannot even pick up after themselves. It is sickening. You know something that also ticks me off-I would not want to be raised in Mexico but it infuriates when I watch National Geographic Border Wars and I see how the illegal immigrants treat our American soil with their littering.

Well here is my last gripe-I am not an actually supporter of the Tea Party but I could see their point. I also could see Occupy Wall Street in the beginning but when I say how they, in our city, trashed our park and the amount of money it costs to pick up after these pigs it ticked me off. When the city has to pick up it takes oil in their trucks and to clean up the stench.